Google Android ‘Cupcake’ branch gets improved surfing, video recording, A2DP

android-g1

Hold-outs for the T-Mobile G1, the first Android-based mobile phone, now have fewer reasons not to pick one up. Google has started a new branch of Android that resolves a number of significant bugs in the user experience and adds features that detractors complained were lacking in the initial release.

Some of the new features include video recording from the G1′s autofocus camera, a new javascript engine in the browser and the A2DP stereo bluetooth protocol. These may seem like relatively minor updates, but are critical gaps in functionality that kept the G1 from competing with the iPhone as a mobile multimedia device.

This branch also aims to take care of a number of minor usability issues necessary to make the G1 a truly mass-market capable phone. Google is getting rid of a few features such as the Add Call button in the dialer and errors in email message handling. Also in this branch is support for system-wide touch interfaces that should lay the groundwork for a touch-based on-screen keyboard in the future.

Via: Android Source

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1 Comment

  • On 01.28.09 Android Cupcake preview video said:

    [...] been over a month since Google’s Android mobile OS branched off to the Cupcake build. While it’s not been officially announced, Cupcake is likely being designed especially for the [...]